Trap Grounds Allotment Association

Shared Equipment

The Association has a range of equipment available for use by plot-holders.

The equipment is stored in the shed by the Port Meadow gates. Full instruction manuals are also stored there in a folder, with some safety advice. Members wishing to make use of the equipment are asked to ensure they are familiar with the machines, and how to use them safely. We ask you to sign a form, also stored in a folder in the shed, which confirms that you agree to that, and that you take personal responsibility for the safe use of the equipment.

Instruction in the use of the equipment is available from the members listed in the following table.

Equipment

Machine	Notes on use	Members who can demonstrate use
Power mowers (Honda)	A motor mower with powered wheels. The easiest mower to use - no throttle, no choke, and a fairly light machine.	Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Philip James Chris Jarvis Neil MacLennan Meg Movshon Rob Watson Michael Wheale
Strimmer / brush cutter (Honda)	Fairly powerful petrol strimmer, relatively heavy to use. The best machine for smallish areas of overgrown grass and weeds.	Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Philip James Neil MacLennan
Mantis tiller	This small, relatively lightweight petrol powered machine is used to turn over already dug soil, and creates a pretty good fine tilth. Have a look at the manufacturer's web site.	Jonathan Clark Bob Crabtree
Rotavator / cultivator	This is a larger, more powerful tiller / cultivator than the Mantis tiller above. It's heavier, and needs more effort, but it can tackle more compacted soil. The ground needs already to have been cleared of weeds, particularly perennials, as otherwise you are just chopping the roots into pieces to make lots more weeds.	Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander
Flail mower	This is a slow, powerful machine which will mow quite roughly covered ground. Good for large overgrown areas. Like all the machines, you need to know there are no stones, bricks or netting under the growth you wish to clear. Since it can mow quite rough ground, it may be difficult to see what debris is lying under the weeds.	Tony Hollander Jonathan Clark
Tractor mower	Used by the volunteer mowing team who take turns to mow the common areas. If you see the mowing team in operation, you might thank them for what they do. It takes a good three hours to mow all the common areas and paths properly, and we try to do it every week. New volunteers for the mowing team are always welcome.	Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Neil MacLennan